Manchester United look set to lose sight of one Premier League target that Dan Ashworth thought would have been perfect for Rúben Amorim.
In the 18 months since it was announced that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had taken a minority stake in Manchester United and assumed complete control of the club’s sporting operations, there has been an unprecedented amount of change at Old Trafford.
Around 450 staff members have been let go from their jobs, many of the club’s high-earning players have been exiled from the squad and are due to be sold, and former manager Erik ten Hag has been replaced with current head coach Rúben Amorim.
There were also many changes at a board level, with Omar Berrada as the new CEO, Jason Wilcox joining as technical director before becoming director of football, assuming the role vacated by Dan Ashworth’s departure just five months into his tenure.
The club are continuing to overhaul their men’s first team in the coming months, with the focus turning to signing Premier League-proven players instead of expensive foreign talents.
Branthwaite set for unexpected Everton contract
One of the early names identified as a potential Manchester United player of the future was Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, who Ratcliffe himself is said to have earmarked as a fantastic signing.
United submitted bids worth around £45 and £55 million for the player in the summer of 2024, but Everton rejected both. The Merseyside club set a price tag of £75 million for him, but United opted instead to sign Matthijs de Ligt for around £38 million from Bayern Munich.
Although the expectation last summer was that Brathwaite was set to be sold in 2025 as the player wanted to step up to a new level and join a club capable of seeing him become an England regular, the player is now close to signing a surprise new deal.
According to Sky Sports, although final details are yet to be sorted, the 23-year-old is expected to pen his new deal as early as next week.
Branthwaite is no longer needed at United
Considering how important it is to bring in new attacking talent at Old Trafford this summer, spending £75 million on a player who would become one of nine centre-back options for Amorim does not make much sense.
Ashworth thought Branthwaite was “perfect” for Amorim’s system, but amid the emergence of 18-year-old Ayden Heaven as a fantastic left-footed centre-back, the need for a player like Branthwaite, no matter his quality, is not as high.
United have limited funds this summer, with Matheus Cunha costing £62.5 million and Bryan Mbeumo close to joining for a base fee of £55 million plus add-ons. They need to generate the rest of their summer spending through player sales.
With a new striker and midfielder next on the agenda, United’s interest in Branthwaite would have cooled considerably during the planning phase of the summer window, although it would not be remiss to discount potential bids from United in the future.
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